Ecology of the Diatomic Flora in Thermo-Mineral Springs of Katlanovska Banja in the Republic Of Macedonia

Thermo-mineral waters have been attracting great attention in the world and in Republic of Macedonia lately, not only as a curative factor but also as an energy source. Thermo-mineral waters on the territory of the Republic of Macedonia are used for health-balneological purposes, and part of these since recently has been used in greenhouse economy. Diatomic flora of the thermo-mineral waters in Macedonia is relatively poorly studied. Having in mind that the structure of diatomic flora of Katlanovska Banja has not been studied enough, and especially knowing that during the last two decades the taxonomy of diatoms has considerably changed, research of the diatomic flora of Katlanovska Banja has been started. Furthermore, these habitats are characterized by specific ecological conditions, which enable the development of characteristic diatomic micro-flora that is specialized for high temperatures (thermophilic species) and high content of salt (halophilic species). The results of this research for the first time mention the presence of the genus Nitzchia in the thermal waters of Katlanovska Banja, not only as present, but also as dominant taxa. The discovery of the genus Navicymbula with the species N. pusilla is also very significant, because it was not known for the flora of the Republic of Macedonia.